New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-09-09
sse was protection to England as it was undsnasly

. investment OF protection TO tho United Staoes.
because II put our merchants and ships upon all
unequal footing exposed them to unfair competition
and compelled them to contend against the caprice Of
all the world In 1923 merchants COMMANDED
scanty capital interest double the percentage in
Europe our gave credit for dqtes we
advantage We had was due to the navigation laws
which realized marine Of superior home-buit ships;
Great Britain was then as now the best protected
ma thine nation known on earth She then lad claim
to the sovereignty OF the seas She then had the
largest navy and the greatest merchant fleets, She
had the oldest and the strongest commercial houses
and the richest bankers, shpownes and corporatons
In the world. London then the centre of
change. The marine insurance written at Uoyds
exceeded all that was done in the other cities OF the
~orld The great merchr nts, shipcwners and Under
writer's OF England have long been known to each
other and used to active cooperation Their system
Of commercial duty towaIi one another had acc nircd
equaltes Ct the situation What TOOK place whea the
British Government accepted benefaction In 1880
The first event the formation Of tie Iioyds
Register Association, In 1884, for the purpose OF
In lieu Of another The shipping societies Of Eng
land had faith in the principle of real and true
or Sir waiter Raleigh ever meant to be bound by
free and equal trade. What was wanted by Bnls 3.
and underwriters Of England 10 discriminate against
foreign Tonnage oyds rSs s shp pot trading
to England was excluded from the Register Second
such did trade to British orts was cassed as IN
fcrior in materials, Workmanship and value and OF
cdi Sc t. be REJECTED by British merchaps, and YER
charged by BIitisa underwriters both IN nuns anu
the American ships in The foreign trade deserved and
bore l. q name of best of any the sea- British
shipping, even by English writer's, was said to be
"thc siowest and most unsafe of all the nations"
II was the work Of uoyds TO make the worse appear
the better ship and G%s aTosnco Of @
and equal competition should have led TO repeal
of reciprocity statute in the first decade OF us
existence II would take volume 70 show the un-
fairness and evil working Of tho Doyds inspection
policy aud another volume to illustrate their un
warranted, aggressive and destructive premium poncy'
both IoveIled at the life Of tie American ship. The
guns Of tho Alabama we're mere supplements 10 the
iloyds rules and tarfs, In the destruction OF our
marine Here is a single illustration At the close
of the II SO, exports In 6ur vessels nsd iae
to por sra n SS sy nsa hspu
The uoyds practically cast our ships our Oh toelt
and the next year our e ew a
to 237 per cent. The hurtful rule aving done IL.
work which was to prevent our Merchants resahns
But England did not leave the protection OIL her
shipping interest altogether 20 the lioyds In ls35,
she originated the Steam Mall subsidy system. ana
i'm ten years after accepting free trade transpor-
tation system she had steamships, supported By her
steamers For fifty years Grea, Britain has applied
her to violate every principle OF freo 'Tss
constituting our solve branch" of 1928 Had
the Unified states guilty of her misconduct for
single year, should have had remonstrances ana
etaation at short notice our free andeasy Govern,
ment should have demanded fair play. equality ana
equity, at least forty five years ago And u iacs
ina. ,n ye Scfore Congress in vain against the
continued suIerauce OF the British 'uosidy system
maritime nations and is largely supplemented with
bountles on the building and running Of ships and
ssa q" lane m praca and
teractIng the rule of reciprocity. They are all 70
storing 1.-THE shackles upon commerce." ana "n navi-
CATION" trusting nothing the fair competition Of
Industry, enterprise and skill" Our only course Is
to do likewise since our OLIVE pran n poiSs h
success SUCCESS D''AS''''' ~"" 4'''e wv
/ will close with tho following illustrations of the
situation: On the Goth OF March 1863, a feet OF
fifty sail lay I'm San Francisco harbor for cargoes TO
ans Sixteen on t er OF nineteen
oen chartered and only four were disengaged
The only German ship was disengaeed. Taking the
whole deet the average ship had been 90 days in
port. Tho average American snip had been la oSs
and the British ship only sixty days. Inc svora Se
American ship under charter Dad been 100 days IN
port and the British ship less than seventy four days
Three British ships had been chartered before arrival
The average British rate of fire. ght e. l2s 5Aa
the American rate was Ell los sd. The British
excess % remuneration was 7A per CENT d.nercnco
much below the annual average Another case: -In
the cath Of December 1885 fleet OF siIty-dve vessels
Law in san Francisco for cargoes to Europe OF fory
eighteen disenragcd. OF eighteen American
nine we're chartered and nine discngaecd lo i,aan
ship OF the entire feet had been 53s days In port
The American average time was 6i6 days the British
fftv-one DAYS aAd tho others 4sG DAYS The average
American ship charter had been g. 81 DAYS tho
british 81 az the others foryeieht days In port
Eleven British and italian chartered before
arrival The average british OF freight was
81 l2s Id. the American rate 81 a., ~ ana tle
others together but little below tho British figures
1be british eyccss az charter a6i cent
Figures made for the 18th OF the same month showed
this srn S a. olive PT '' Branch now '
Here in a nutshell. Is an evil,m"lnly pro,ec'iive
alike have prescrtbed "cheap ships. reduction Of
the tariff" and "repcal OF the navigation Laws;
An .,norso.r .,t, Ia. ,o ia for a carxo..... DAYS
The average American voyage time 10 naFs
rimeconsumea in ope trip Sl5 days
A, p..t.h .h,, ia. for cargo only ....... ~ days
n =, .st,,,o rims is ...................l3 l dave
T,ne consnmed in one trim .............. 20a days
time 80 cent and extra rate OF freight
ia per cent Or.
An American ship lies 5Ll2j-190 DAYS for 800
A British ship los -. 81 ll3l=l83 days for slfO
My Investigations OF the performance OF fleets IN
the California trade, for four consecutive years
urove thai the average American ship IL not only the
largest, fastest. most efficient and cheapest, bn"
the safest carrier I'm the trade. Her single disability
arises from the want OF protection. and this IL X
the duty OF the Government 10 supply The problem
OF the American ship II one OF protection, or The
abandonment OF the sea. And IL Is most dspaceful
to Congress the question should he for day
Eeao- York, Aug. %, 1887. WILLIAM W. BATE